I
love this quote:
Some
of us spend a lot of time choosing and wrapping our Christmas gifts for
others. Some do, I do not, but that’s
not important here.
Three
years ago Carolyn and I were headed to our special dinner together on Christmas
Eve. We passed a man who appeared down
on his luck so to speak. I gave him five
bucks. It was no big deal to me, but who
knows what it did for him. He uttered a
halting “Merry Christmas”, we went to dinner and that was that. It was not a fancy boxed gift we gave. It was five bucks.
But
perhaps we brought a small measure of Christmas to that nameless man.
I
love watching my step-children parent their kids. They correct as needed, but they give so much
more. They give esteeming words and
principles, they give the gift of listening to their kid’s worries, their hurts
and the things that matter to them at whatever ages they happen to be. Those listening ears and wise hearts didn’t
come in a box.
Carolyn
gives me the gift of plenty of writing time.
She often laments that I’m going to be interrupted by our schedule on
the weekends. I cannot tell you the warm
feelings and validation I feel when my wife honors this writing part of my
life. It is a gift not found in a box,
but a great gift nevertheless.
When
we give gifts of love and esteem, validation and recognition, gifts of hope and
words of encouragement, we give something far more valuable than any wrapped
present imaginable. And these gifts that
are out of the box have a shelf-life that far exceeds any other.
Maya
Angelou says it this way:
"I’ll never
forget how you made me feel.”
Now
that is a gift we can all give, every day.
Words of Hope
Encouragement Inspiration
One Word at a Time
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